Agency: Destiny has until year's end to move on Salina research park

The Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency today extended Destiny USA's application for assistance with a proposed research and development park in Salina until the end of the year.

That was after Destiny developer Robert Congel amended it to exclude the use of eminent domain against property owners in or near the project site. The company had asked for an extension until April 30, 2008, but said it would accept an extension until the end of this year.

Destiny's application never asked the agency to use its eminent domain powers to acquire private properties for the project. But project officials publicly said that's what they wanted. And that drew strong opposition from 27 business owners and two homeowners, mostly south of Seventh North Street.

When it became clear that the agency's directors would not approve Destiny's application for assistance with the use of eminent domain a possibility, Congel agreed to limit the project to publicly owned land north of Seventh North Street.

"That's the major change," board Chairman Robert Baldwin said.

Congel proposed the research park at the northeast corner of Interstate 81 and Seventh North Street to house companies developing renewable energy systems and other technology for Destiny USA, a retail, hotel and entertainment center he wants to create through a massive expansion of the Carousel Center mall. After opposition to the use of eminent domain grew, Destiny put plans for the research park on hold, saying it was concentrating on the mall expansion.

Project executive David Aitken told the development agency today that interest among potential tenants of the research park has grown since Destiny closed on $540 million in financing for the first phase of the mall expansion, which is happening a few miles down the road in Syracuse. He said the company wanted the opportunity to bring the research park proposal back to the board, though he did not give a timetable.

"Very clearly, there's a market for it," he said.

Read more of the story by Staff Writer Rick Moriarty in Friday's Post-Standard.